Swedish donation to disaster area in southern Colombia

Swedish companies in Colombia and Sweden’s Embassy in Bogota have joined forces to support families affected by the landslide in Mocoa in April.

The disaster caused over 320 fatalities and considerable material damage. After being contacted by several Swedish companies wondering how they could help, the Embassy decided to coordinate a donation of the Swedish water treatment innovation, Solvatten.

The final donation was 54 Solvatten units worth approximately SEK 120 000. A total of five Swedish companies contributed. The 54 units were passed on to the Colombian civil defence. There is still a shortage of clean water in Mocoa since the water treatment plant was completely destroyed by the landslide.

Representatives of Solvatten in Colombia and Embassy staff were present when the civil defence distributed the Swedish innovation to families affected by the disaster and carried out a demonstration of Solvatten in San Antonio, just outside of Mocoa. The civil defence now have responsibility for logistics and ensuring that everything is put to use.

This initiative is an example of how the Swedish Embassy’s various branches of activity are brought together to solve problems that occur. In this case, the companies were able to channel their assistance via the Embassy, which has a good overview of Colombia’s disaster response organisation thanks to its long-term humanitarian aid in the country – and its very good contacts at government level.

At the same time, we were able to disseminate a Swedish invention. This donation will hopefully lead to more business for Solvatten in Colombia.